Family medicine: A specialty of comprehensive primary care
Family physicians are the only specialists qualified to treat most ailments and give comprehensive health care to people of all ages—from newborns to seniors.
What makes family medicine unique?
It’s the combination of passion for patients and a depth of knowledge of the human body that makes family medicine such a unique, effective specialty. Evidence shows that when people have regular access to a primary care doctor like a family physician, they enjoy:
- Longer, healthier lives
- Lower overall health care costs
- Higher immunization rates
- Lower infant mortality
- Higher birth weights
The American Academy of Family Physicians is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care that represents physicians and medical students nationwide.
The role of family physicians in health care
Family physicians provide the majority of care for America’s underserved rural and urban populations. In addition to diagnosing and treating illness, they also provide preventive care, including routine checkups, health-risk assessments, immunization, screening tests and personalized counseling on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Family physicians also manage chronic illness, often coordinating care with other specialists. From heart disease, stroke and hypertension, to diabetes, cancer and asthma, family physicians provide ongoing, personal care for the nation’s most serious health problems.
Family medicine covers a wide range of services
perform medical services or procedures.
treat patients in a hospital setting.
have hospital privileges.
deliver babies.
Family physicians are trained to perform many procedures
Colposcopy/LEEP
Colonoscopy
Endoscopy
Family planning, and early pregnancy evaluation and management
Musculoskeletal injections
Skin procedures
Suturing lacerations
Ultrasound imaging
Vasectomy
Expertise and training in family medicine
Family physicians complete extensive training beyond medical school so they can provide the best possible patient care. This includes a three-year residency and in-depth training across the human lifespan from birth to death. Many family physicians take their training even further, with additional fellowships and qualifications in concentrations like adolescent medicine, emergency medicine, faculty development and more.
Family medicine residents receive training in six major areas
Pediatrics
Obstetrics and gynecology
Internal medicine
Psychiatry and neurology
Surgery
Community medicine
Why family medicine matters for communities
Family doctors make entire communities healthier. They’ve chosen the most versatile of all physician specialties—one that offers comprehensive medical care to patients of all genders and all ages, and considers how community and social factors affect the health of each patient.
As multipurpose specialists, family physicians are also flexible. They deliver care in a variety of settings, from office practices and hospitals to in-patient facilities and health centers. When the needs of their communities and patients evolve, family physicians adapt their procedures and skills to match, always tailoring their clinical services to the unique situations of the patients who put their trust in all that family doctors offer.